I found out recently when going to the Tiffany exhibit at the Musée du Luxembourg (which was great btw) that the museum is about to close! That exhibit could be the museum’s last with a planned closure in January 2010! Employees suggest that you sign their petition to protest against the closure of such a historical museum. After all, this museum first opened in 1750 and it was the first art museum to be open to the public in France! (Among other achievements) A better written post about this topic (in French).

Meanwhile, the Centre Pompidou is closed to visitors because the people working there are on strike! A post in French, one in English, to explain the main reason behind this strike: half the people going into retirement won’t be replaced starting in January 2010 and as many employees there are over 50, this means very soon the number of employees will crash… Such measures should also impact other cultural places such as the Louvre or Versailles. This is not going to get better soonish with a general call to strike for next Wednesday…

A coincidence? Or is “someone” bound on destroying Paris’ image of a culture-rich capital?

The name Tiffany is synonymous in popular culture as the great jeweller. From Holly Golightly with her Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Marilyn Monroe’s best friend – the diamonds, to Ugly Betty’s Daniel Meade who loves to shop at Tiffany’s & Co., this reputation has long been sealed.

However, one must also not overlook the marvellous works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of the founder of Tiffany’s & Co., whose life was that of a celebrated artist, innovator and glass designer. His renowned art nouveau panel of glass window The Four Seasons won a gold medal in Paris during Exposition Universelle 1900, and to this day, is still much admired (although it is now in several panels instead of one magnificent piece). And if you’ve heard about Favrile iridescent glass, well, it was something that he had patented.

The Morse Museum in Florida houses the most comprehensive collection of his works.

Now though, you get a chance to take a closer look at some 160 pieces of his works, in an exhibition entitled Louis Comfort Tiffany : Colors and Light at Musée du Luxembourg.

Window of Bella Apartment

The exhibition is divided into several themes, exploring his early career and his interest in the art of glassmaking (as opposed to his family trade of jewellery and silverworks making), the recognition of his works in Europe, the stained glasses, the Favrile pieces, and the expansion into decorative art pieces including lavishly coloured lamps.

It was his unique and innovative style of glassmaking, by incorporating various impurities to create a bloom of colours within the glass pieces, rather than merely painting stains onto transparent glasses, that brought the attention of the world to his genius. Is it any wonder then, till this day, his pieces are still coveted as collectors’ items and fetch great values.

The exhibition runs daily from Wednesday 16 September 2009 till Sunday 17 January 2010, with variable opening hours depending on when you plan to visit. Check out the reservation page for more details.